Dorcas M. Byro Dorow, age 89, of Osage, Iowa, died Dec. 8, 2014, at Mitchell County Regional Health Center in Osage.

Dorcas, daughter of Orin and Gladys Christeson Byro, was born on April 23, 1925, in Eagle Grove, Iowa. She graduated from Eagle Grove High School in 1943. Dorcas loved music and excelled at it from a very young age. She received her A.A. from Waldorf College in 1945 and her B.A. in music at St. Olaf College in 1950. She sang in the top choirs at both institutions. In between her college years, she taught music in the Belmond and Fertile schools in Iowa. After St. Olaf, she had a meaningful teaching experience in Spirit Lake, Iowa from 1950-53. There she met her future husband, Edgar, the Dickinson County’s Agricultural Extension agent.

Dorcas married Edgar in 1953 and joined him in Osage, where he had become the Mitchell County Extension Agent.

After a short stint teaching music in the Osage schools, Dorcas found her home at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Osage in 1953, directing two children’s choirs. These choirs were well known throughout the area for their excellence and they anchored many regional choir festivals. Her love for music inspired many children to continue studying and making music into their adult lives. After 20 years as youth choir director, Dorcas was the adult choir director at Our Savior’s Lutheran for another 15 years. Her adult choirs sang Handel’s “Messiah” and other important works under her direction. She also knew how to throw a great choir party.

These were each perfect positions for her, blending her love of music and her teaching skills with her deep faith in God and commitment to the Church. Dorcas believed deeply in the role of music to inspire and add meaning to the worship experience. She chose hymns and anthems that brought meaningful texts and musical depth to the liturgy and scripture. Her work and leadership has brought musical and spiritual inspiration to many individuals.

Dorcas also continued her dedication to Waldorf College, teaching voice, serving as interim choir director, and as an outspoken institutional supporter. This led to her election as the first woman on the college’s Board of Regents, which she served on for 12 years. She was Director of Alumni Relations for several years until her retirement.

Dorcas was a leader in the Lutheran church in many ways. She was chairwoman of the Northeastern District of the Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) when the ELCA was first getting organized. She also was chairwoman of the ELCA Iowa Task Force on Peace and Reconciliation.

Dorcas’ desire to build cultural bridges led her to become a driving force in founding the Osage Sister City Organization, where she helped establish a close relationship with the city of Lermontov, in the Stavropol region of Russia. In 2006, Dorcas received the Governor’s Volunteer Award for her efforts and was recently honored locally for her 25 years of service to the Osage Sister City organization.

In recent years, Dorcas invested much time in writing poetry, and her work has been published in Lyrical Iowa for 11 consecutive years.

Dorcas is survived by her husband of 61 years, Edgar; children, Martha Dorow ’80, and Joel Dorow ’82 and wife Miriam Chilton; siblings, Miriam Byro Rogness ’54 and husband Martin, Paul Byro and wife Betty, and Kenneth Byro and wife Lani; and grandchildren, Shaina Dorow and Samuel Dorow. Dorcas was preceded in death by her parents and her infant sister, Evelyn Byro.